A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

The perfect dystopian YA story with intriguing worlds. The world-building was really well done, and kept me reading right until the end!

A new stand out voice in Young Adult Fiction, Christina Kilbourne's storytelling is captivating and magnificent, in the likes of Philip Reeve and Jay Kristoff. The Limitless Sky is a dual point-of-view Cli-Fi full of incredible world building and interesting characters. I would highly recommend this novel to teens and adults alike - it is both an enjoyable and important work perfect for fans of the Mortal Engines series and Ready Player One.

I really enjoyed the introduction of the book. It drew me to the plot itself. I have imagined collaborating on stories before, but nothing ever panned out in time. I hold out hope that someday it will!
This is a standard dystopia scenario. You meet two young adults who live in different scenarios. It is hard to reconcile they are part of the same book. Whether they exist in the same world is something you have to read to confirm. I will not go into further detail about what I mean to avoid entering spoiler territory. I will say that the content is such that even younger audiences can understand the stakes without being childish.
We have two narrative voices. One of them is a girl living under a dome with a history of tightly controlled family traditions. Each family has a role, and the offsprings need to continue along those lines, at least the firstborn. They have technology which helps them survive, but no one feels like they are thriving. There is an undercurrent of hidden secrets that trouble our leading lady, Rook. She starts to question things, setting her on a path laid out by people before her, but which does not have a happy ending. It is also satisfying to see a functional family without the need to add any extra conflict to the plotline.
Gage, on the other hand, lives in the open. His experiences are completely different, and he years to be part of the people who physically explore the world left for them to figure out things they no longer know. Reading is something limited to a chosen few, something his mother is trying to change. Overall it is not a very unique premise, but it is put together well, and I think it is a good introduction to the dystopia/utopia conversation for a younger audience.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

It felt like a more plot driven The Starless Sea and I am all here for that. I absolutely loved it. The characters, the emotions, the plot. I’m a huge fan of that academic to quest mix of books and adventures kind of story and this hit all the right spots for me. I would absolutely recommend this to my friends, especially those who enjoyed Donna Tartt or Erin Morgenstern.

This would be a decent book for middle grade readers, but I personally couldn't get into it. The pace was much too slow for me.

I wanted to love this so much, I tried but I just couldn't get into it. The story build was really slow and I made it 100 pages before I just decided to stop. I hate to DNF a book, but I honestly couldn't get excited about picking it up.
I hope others love it, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this novel honestly!

*wades through confusing plot holes*

Yeah hm. I found this one tricky to follow and it felt like the first few chapters of what could've been an epic story, that were stretched out unbearably into a whole book.

I think I finally understood what was going on around the 60% mark, which was a frustratingly long time to have to persevere through to put all the threads together.

There wasn't much action, a lot of the book is just dialogue and Rook reading documents to try and work out what was going on.

My main problem was that it wasn't a satisfying story to get to the end of. The motives of the characters weren't clear, and there were quite a number of things that didn't line up with the supposed vast intelligence that Rook's society holds.

This just didn't do it for me.

Title: The Limitless Sky
Author: Christina Kilbourne
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Trapped in a life she didn’t choose, Rook struggles to find meaning in her appointed role as an apprentice Keeper of ArHK. Even though her mam soothes her with legends of the Outside and her da assures her there are many interesting facts to discover in the Archives, Rook sees only endless years of tracking useless information. Then one day Rook discovers historic footage of the Chosen Ones arriving in ArHK, and she begins to realize her mam’s legends are more than bedtime stories. That’s when Rook begins her perilous and heartbreaking search for the limitless sky.

Gage is also trapped. Living on the frontier line with his family, his is a life of endless moving and constant danger. As he works with the other Scouts, Gage searches for the Ship of Knowledge to help his society regain the wonders of the long distant past, when machines transported people across the land, illnesses could be cured, and human structures rose high into the sky.

Will Rook and Gage escape the traps and perils that await them in order to save each other’s worlds? If they don’t, it could very well be the end of humanity.

The setting and culture in this story were fascinating to me. It was a little unsettling to read about national monuments as archeological artifacts, so that was an interesting aspect. I actually enjoyed Gage’s POV a bit more than Rook’s, because her culture and mindset just felt so foreign to me, but the author did a good job fleshing it out and making it come to life. I thought the ending was a little abrupt and kind of left the reader hanging, but I’d still recommend this.

Christina Kilbourne is from Canada. The Limitless Sky is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review.)

The Limitless Sky, is a Young Adult Fiction that is set in a post dystopian world. The story revolves around Rook and Gage, two adventurous young kids, that somehow know that there is more than meets the eye, in the worlds they are confined to. Like most youngsters they dream of a limitless world; they question and challenge belief systems around them and possess the fire in their bellies to take control and make a change.

Rook lives in a futuristic society, where a few hundred people are confined to the ArHK (Archives of Human Knowledge). The ArHK was designed to sustain and preserve a section of the human race – The Chosen Ones. The residents and their descendants are made to doubt the very existence of the Outside. However, Rook is determined to find out more and embarks on a perilous journey that changes everything for her, as well as her family, friends, and everyone at ArHK.

The other star of the story is Gage, who lives on the frontier. He along with his family and the Scouts are searching for the fabled Ship of Knowledge. Call it luck, or mere chance, they establish contact with each other. What happens then is a race against time and authority, as they seek answers to their questions and embark on a search of the limitless sky.

Author Christina Kilbourne has done a fine job with The Limitless Sky. The story is well paced, the language simple and lucid, the characters are relatable, the tension builds up fairly well and the conclusion is a surprise. I liked the way the author flipped between first and third person, as the story progressed. The societies Rook and Gage live in may be futuristic, yet they are similar to our own in many ways and that makes it relatable. I couldn’t help but associate the ArHK with the Biblical Noah’s ARK (interesting concept, if that’s how the author intended it). Despite this being fiction, it did push me to think about the future of humanity, if we continue ruining our planet and environment, they way we are. Overall a fun and engaging read.

This story is set 500 years in the future. Far in the past, the climate/environmental crisis reached its peak. Some of humanity stayed on the planet surface in the natural world.....and others retreated into ArHK, a contained environment that could protect them.

This story is told from two points of view. One is Gage -- a descendant of those who stayed in the natural world. And Rook, who lives in ArHK with her parents. Their lives are so totally different, but they need to work together to help save humanity.

It's a story line that has been done before in YA -- many times. But....I love how Kilbourne crafted this story. Gage and Rook interact through messaging. One story line in first person. The other in third person. Normally, I would find that switching back and forth to be annoying. But....Kilbourne pulls it off. This story is definitely Young Adult fiction. The main characters are teenagers. So the realism of their situation is a bit muted to be age appropriate, but the story is excellent!

This would make an excellent short television series or movie. I'd watch it!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Dundurn Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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I was excited to request this but was ultimately disappointed in how The Limitless Sky ticks all the marks of a very typical YA dystopian novel. While the setting was interesting, it was outweighed by its lack of depth, a meandering plot, unsatisfying climax and dull characters who I found hard to empathize with.

Overall rating: 2/5 stars

I wanted to like THE LIMITLESS SKY but in the end it's kind of just.. An Young Adult Novel.

Rook and her family live in ArHK where the sky is two metres above them and society is structured into classes following the events which destroyed the Outside - most of the inhabitants, descended from the Chosen Ones who came to ArHK, don't even believe the Outside exists, and that ArHK is the entire world.

Gage is a scout, searching for the lost city of Washington which was destroyed during the Storm Ages and searching for the lost Ship of Knowledge. Together, Gage and Rook have to.. well. Not really do anything.

Kilbourne starts THE LIMITLESS SKY with an introduction about how she was inspired to write the book following watching a dystopian movie with her kids, and wanting to answer the 'what ifs' that were never answered, and challenged herself to do better. This is interesting, because THE LIMITLESS SKY kind of stops short of answering any 'what ifs'.

It's pretty much the most bog standard YA dystopian (or 'post-dystopian', as the author calls it) book I've ever read. The prose is kind of plodding and dull, and while the world is on a very surface level interesting, there's not much substance underneath. The plot meanders for 2/3 of the length without much happening, and then it seems the author realised that books are supposed to have exciting conclusions, and kind of just.. smashed it out in an afternoon.

The blurb hypes up that these two people from wildly different worlds need to work together to 'save' everybody, but really, outside of set dressing there's very little that comes from the two characters 'working' together, and what there is is just them sending messages to eachother.

The finale just kind of happens and hangs there limp and boring.

There's a kind of an odd writing choice where the two perspectives (Rook and Gage) are written differently, Rook from first person and Gage from third person. It's not as jarring as I expected, and is probably the most interesting part of the book.

A no from me, 2 stars up from 1 because I kind of like the setting.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I tell you I’m obsessed with this book, I mean it. I read this in about 3 days and could hardly put it down. The dual perspective always ended chapters on cliffhangers which kept me turning pages at a recording breaking pace. I also enjoyed reading both characters perspective which is uncommon when I read a dual perspective since I usually find one character more boring than the other. Both these characters were unique from each other and had their own voice which made the booth rich and interesting. The plot was also very well thought out and fast paced. This book is perfect for those who love dystopian or are in a reading slump!

A story of two teenagers who are both trapped in two different environment that they didn't choose. Rook who has a certain role in ARKH was beginning to question things happening around. While Gage faces almost similar struggles to survive, keep his family & community free.

Though this book is designed for younger age I still find the plot and delivery of the story interesting. A story of survival in a dystopian world. Political or power control plays around the story which sometimes you don't know whose telling the truth or are they hiding something just to survive. So Rook and Gage must make a choice in the end.

Would you choose to survive or feel the consequences of being free, just like The Limitless Sky.

Thank you Netgalley & Dundurn Press for the ARC.

3.7/5 stars

I really enjoyed this! The Limitless Sky is a spiritual successor to The City of Ember (which got a shoutout!), perfect for middle grade readers. There was a lot of exposition in the beginning, but it was essential to understand what was going on - luckily, the world was interesting enough to keep my attention. I cared significantly more about Rook than Gage, but both characters were pretty well fleshed out and acted like real teenagers. The sense of suspense was fantastic - I read this in one sitting.

This is a sweet post-dystopian story following Rook, a girl living in a protected facility called ArHK, and Gage, a boy from a family of scouts in the Outside, the world left behind after an apocalypse of fires and floods. It is written for the lower end of YA (12-15ish) and explores themes of community isolation and censorship, with a gripping plot and interesting characters.

Written in first person, Rook’s life in ArHK is dictated by the societal structures which determine a person’s role based on the family they come from and the sector they live in - she is from a family of Keepers, the people who maintain the archives. There is some interesting commentary on the way the society is organised, although some of the biases are left unexamined: “Based on the spelling, whoever is writing is clearly not an intellectual. This makes me think it could be someone from the Waste Management Level.”

Written in third person, Gage’s perspective follows his hunt for the remains of the ancient city Washington, which was destroyed hundreds of years prior. Lacking ‘modern’ technology and at the mercy of the elements, he learns how to scout, although the skills he learned from his Reader mother come in handy too.

The ending has a cliffhanger that reads like the setup for a sequel, so I hope there will be second book.

From the very first pages, I was intrigued with the dystopian worlds of both Rook and Gage. The line dividing them was so distinct. I was enamored with both characters and swept up in the emotions and actions. So well written. The ending left me wondering if there might be a sequel (yes, please).

The Limitless Sky
by Christina Kilbourne
YA Dystopian
ARC NetGalley


Rook, being the firstborn in her family is required to become a Keeper of the Archives, her main job is to track the information of the daily events of the ArHK.

The ArHK is all that is left of the world, where hundreds of years ago the chosen ones arrived before the air Outside was poisoned. But for Rook, the Outside is a bedtime story and the ArHK is all there is.

Gage, living a nomads life with his family and others, at almost his sixteenth birthday, gets to go on his first Scouting with his dad and a few others as they continue their search for the Ship of Knowledge, where the secrets of the world were hidden before the storms destroyed that way of life. Finding the ship will give them the chance to discover how to once again travel the land in machines and to cure illnesses. After years of searching, their group finally finds Washington, where the Scholars believe they will find the clues to find the Ship of Knowledge.

Told by Rook in first person and Gage in third person, the reader is bounced from Rook's perspective of life in ArHK and Gage's life in the search for the Ship of Knowledge.

It's not a bad story as it follows these two characters' lives, both not knowing about the other, Rook thinking there is no such thing as the outside.

A well-written, quick read with just enough details, but without anything graphic so it is suitable for readers 12 and up.

Sadly though, it was left as a cliff-hanger with no inclination that there will be another book, which there's enough story that it could be a series. But left as is, it leaves it up to the reader to decide the ending.

3 Stars

I absolutely loved the Giver by Lois Lowery and 1984 by George Orwell so pretty excited to crack into The Limitless Sky which is a futuristic world in which present day knowledge has been lost. The story starts out with Rook and her little sister Sparrow looking at the "sky", but you quickly realize their entire world is a walled dome. The author has a great command of story and quickly sucks the reader into her world. Rook is a library apprentice, but in the far future most knowledge is taken as fiction. Cut to Gage, the other main character, whose a goat herder and explorer who lives outdoors in a ruined post-disaster society. His people are looking for the lost city of knowledge.to rebuild. The two alternating viewpoints follow the two coming of age stories as Gage and Rook search for meaning in very different societies. I enjoyed the writing style, but the book is clearly a prequel or set-up for a main action arc so if you are the type that likes to read finished series or compete works then this book is not for you. Otherwise, fun evening read.